Alamo in the Ardennes - by John C McManus (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"A comprehensive and vivid account of the heroic defense of Bastogne... McManus has taken a great old story and made it new again."--Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author of An Army at Dawn

During the Battle of the Bulge, the 101st Airborne made their legendary stand at Bastogne. But their heroics never could have happened if not for the unsung efforts of others.

This is the powerful yet little-known story of the bloody delaying action fought by the 28th Infantry Division, elements of the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions, and other, smaller units. Outnumbered and outgunned, they made the Germans pay for every icy inch of ground they gained. It was their gallant efforts that allowed the 101st Airborne to reach and fully occupy Bastogne and prepare for the ferocious attack to come.

Featuring numerous helpful maps and a complete list of the soldiers, local civilians, and German commanders whose actions it recounts, Alamo in the Ardennes provides a compelling, day-by-day account of this pivotal moment in America's greatest war.

From the Back Cover

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR ALAMO IN THE ARDENNES

"A comprehensive and vivid account of the heroic defense of Bastogne, the linchpin in the Battle of the Bulge. With a scholar's precision and a writer's keen eye for the telling detail, John C. McManus has taken a great old story and made it new again."
--Rick Atkinson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning An Army at Dawn and the bestselling In the Company of Soldiers

"McManus's absorbing and forthright narrative will hopefully dispel several myths, namely that Bastogne was the decisive engagement of the Battle of the Bulge, and give long-overdue credit to the many brave Americans, some of them still alive today, who made victory possible in America's greatest-ever battle. You can't ask for more. Bravo!"
--Alex Kershaw, author of The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of WWII's Most Decorated Platoon and The Few: The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain

"I have read hundreds of books about men in battle but seldom have I seen one that comes close to the intensity that John McManus achieves in Alamo in the Ardennes. To anunparalleled degree, his amazing research has enabled him to get inside the minds and hearts of dozens of soldiers, from generals to privates. This is a book that will become one of the classics of the literature of World War II combat."
--Thomas Fleming, author of The New Dealers' War: FDR and the War within World War II

Review Quotes

"A comprehensive and vivid account of the heroic defense of Bastogne, the linchpin in the Battle of the Bulge. With a scholar's precision and a writer's keen eye for the telling detail, John C. McManus has taken a great old story and made it new again."--Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author of An Army at Dawn

"McManus's absorbing and forthright narrative will hopefully dispel several myths, namely that Bastogne was the decisive engagement of the Battle of the Bulge, and give long-overdue credit to the many brave Americans, some of them still alive today, who made victory possible in America's greatest ever battle. You can't ask for more. Bravo!"--Alex Kershaw, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Longest Winter and Avenue of Spies

"I have read hundreds of books about men in battle but seldom have I seen one that comes close to the intensity that John McManus achieves in Alamo in the Ardennes. To an unparalleled degree, his amazing research has enabled him to get inside the minds and hearts of dozens of soldiers, from generals to privates. This is a book that will become one of the classics of the literature of World War II combat."--Thomas Fleming, Author of The New Dealers' War

"This definitive and eminently readable history is destined to be a classic among Bulge histories."--Patrick K. O'Donnell, Author of Washington's Immortals

About the Author

John C. McManus is an award-winning professor, author, and military historian, and a leading expert on the history of the American combat experience. He is the Curators' Distinguished Professor of U.S. Military History at Missouri University of Science and Technology, and is currently in residence at the U.S. Naval Academy as the Leo A. Shifrin Chair of Naval and Military History. His critically acclaimed books on World War II include Grunts, September Hope, and The Dead and Those About to Die. His next book, Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941-1943, will be published by Dutton Caliber in July 2019.